stategovernmentsintheunitedstatesfandomcom-20200213-history
Armond Budish
| birth_place=Cleveland, Ohio | death_date= | death_place= | party=Democratic | residence= Beachwood, Ohio | alma_mater=Swarthmore College, New York University | profession=Lawyer | religion=Jewish |}} Armond D. Budish (born 1953)Ohio Historical Society is the Democratic representative for the 8th district of the Ohio House of Representatives. First elected into service during the 127th General Assembly of 2007, he was re-elected in the 128th, where he served as Speaker of the House. He is the first Jewish representative in his state's history to hold that office.Siegel (19 November 2008) Before his entry into politics in 2006, he was an attorney specializing in consumer and elder law with Budish, Solomon, Steiner & Peck and has written several books and many articles on the subject.Armand D. Budish on WorldCat Career Budish received his Bachelor's Degree (cum laude) in 1974 from Swarthmore College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he was a political science major. He then went on to complete a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law.Swarthmore College Alumni Bulletin (November 1996) In 1993, he founded the law firm Budish, Solomon, Steiner, & Peck, of which he continues to be a partner. During that time Budish became nationally recognized for his work in the field of consumer law, estate planning, and elder law.Naymik (4 June 2009) Ohio House of Representatives In 2006, after both of his sons left for college, he made the decision to run for public office, and was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives from the 8th District, which includes parts of Cleveland, Ohio, and some of the city's eastern neighbors. He was re-elected in 2008 and was chosen Speaker of the House by his peers in January 2009, becoming the first Jewish Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. His main focus in the 128th General Assembly was job creation in the difficult economic conditions of 2009. To that end, he created several new committees, including Economic Development and Housing & Urban Revitalization. Budish faced mounting criticism from opponents in February 2010 for not allowing the National Right to Life Oratory Contest winner to receive an honorary resolution on the House floor. However, he soon reversed his decision and allowed for the award to be given.Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish blocks presentation to 'Right to Life' teen He also was criticized for colluding with progressive political action committees in the 2010 election cycle. Charges on the matter were later dropped. With the Republicans regaining control of the State House in 2010, Armond Budish lost a second term as House Speaker, and was replaced by William G. Batchelder. He was chosen to remain as Minority Leader with the approval of his colleagues.House Democrats stick with Budish as leader On January 3, 2011 Budish was sworn in as minority leader, and pledged cooperation with Republicans. He stated he would be available "to help you and to help your colleagues forge the essential, equitable, bipartisan solutions to the economic and social problems Ohio faces."Batchelder outlines pro-business priorities However, Budish has also acknowledged that he believes that the Republican Party is motivated to annihilate the Democratic voting base, and is out to make Ohio a one party state. Along with his duties as leader, Budish also serves the ranking member of the Rules and Reference Committee. Budish is also a member of the Ohio Arts Council; a member of the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee; the Ohio Legislative Service Commission; the Program Committee of Ohio Government Telecommunications; and the Legislative Task Force on Redistricting, Reapportionment, and Demographic Research. Policies, positions and initiatives In his first term as minority leader, Budish has expressed concern about the rapid pace GOP leaders set for action on Ohio Governor John Kasich's JobsOhio measure. "It would be reckless to rush through the legislature, in a secretive process, a bill that will apparently give private businesses control over millions of taxpayer dollars with little to no oversight", he said. With 100 days into the 129th Ohio General Assembly, Budish stated that the Republican agenda demonstrated how out of touch they were with middle class Ohioans. ;Fiscal issues He has called the 2012–2013 Kasich budget proposal "horrific" and said they will have a "terrible" impact on all Ohioans. He has said a proposed $1 billion cut in local government funds will mean local officials will have to slash their budgets and cut police and firefighters. He called a proposed $3 billion reduction in basic funding for schools "horrific" and predicted it would force districts to cut teacher salaries and positions and increase the size of some classes to 50 students or more. He also pointed to developments in Florida, where newly elected Gov. Rick Scott fired the president of a similar public-private entity and has proposed to consolidate economic development operations into a reinstated Department of Commerce. Despite Democrats' concerns, the bill ended up passing the House. "We've said basically, 'You have the authority to contract with the Department of Development to do anything under the sun that the department could do, including spending all this money,'" he said after the bill passed. "Mr. Kvamme (JobsOhio director) may be very influential, but to think that he's going to move businesses to Ohio by his golden tongue is not what this bill's about. It's to develop packages where he can spend money, he can offer grants, he can give loans, he can make investments in businesses," he said. "And he's using taxpayer money to do that."JobsOhio Passes House Floor Vote; Advances to the Senate Budish has also remained vocal on an initiative to move a Cuyahoga County mental health facility to Northfield, Ohio. "I think it's a disservice to the families to build it anywhere else -- 90 percent of the families are Cleveland families," he said. "You can't just go back and forth on a whim." ;Collective bargaining A leader in the fight against a bill that eliminated portions of collective bargaining for public employees, Budish had promised to "fight like hell" against the passage of the measure. He also has come out against a measure to limit or eliminate overtime pay for any employee of a private company in Ohio. Budish, along with fellow Democrats delivered over 65,000 signed signatures against the bill to the committee that was hearing the legislation. The bill went on to pass the House, and was concurred upon in the Senate. Budish stated it was an attack on something that helped to raise up the working poor over a period of thirty years. In August 2011, Kasich and Republican leaders, fearing that the repeal effort could potential overturn the bill, sought to bring organized labor leaders together. However, those against the measures opted to not meet with the Governor unless the entire legislation was repealed. As a result, Budish drafted legislation that would effectively overturn Senate Bill 5. He has urged on a vote from Speaker of the House William G. Batchelder to repeal the bill. ;Social issues Demonstrating outrage over a measure that looks to require a photo ID to vote, Budish has called it a modern day poll tax that will unfairly harm impoverished, minority and handicapped voters at the polls. He has called the bill “partisan attack on the right to vote.” ;Education Budish has also opposed an initiative to allow for the return of five calamity days to schools, mostly due to an unfunded mandate that requires public schools to provide transportation to non-public schools on said days. See also *List of Speakers of the Ohio House of Representatives *Budish, Solomon, Steiner, & Peck, Ltd., Armond Budish biography, 2009. Accessed 16 June 2009. *Karfeld, Marilyn H., "Budish 1st Jewish speaker as Dems take Ohio House", Cleveland Jewish News, 7 November 2008. Accessed 16 June 2009. *Naymik, Mark, "Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish's dual role on Medicaid issue: government cost-cutter, advocate for elderly", The Plain Dealer, 4 June 2009. Accessed 16 June 2009. *Ohio Democratic Party, "Armand Budish Speaker of the House", 2009. Accessed 16 June 2009. *Ohio Historical Society, Rep. Armond Budish (D-OH 8th District). Accessed 21 May 2009. *Ohio House Of Representatives, Armond Budish, Speaker of the House, 2009. Accessed 16 June 2009. *Siegel, Jim "New House speaker has come a long way", Columbus Dispatch, 19 November 2008. Accessed 21 May 2009. *Swarthmore College Alumni Bulletin, "Planning on aging? Start today", November 1996. Accessed 21 May 2009. References External links *The Ohio House of Representatives: Minority Leader Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) official site Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:People from Cleveland, Ohio Category:Jewish American politicians Category:Ohio Democrats Category:Speakers of the Ohio House of Representatives Category:Ohio lawyers Category:People from Cuyahoga County, Ohio